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Marry, Date or Dump: Sherlock Holmes

The idea for this week’s Marry, Date or Dump came from reader Indra Anderson. I doubt this question was far from Arthur Conan Doyle’s mind when he created these characters, but let me know who you would marry, who you would date, and who you would dump when it comes to Sherlock Holmes, Watson, and Moriarty. I haven’t read these mystery stories in a long time, so I’m excited to see what you pick!

I’ve seen and enjoyed the new Sherlock Holmes TV series and I saw the movie adaptations with Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law. I’ve read the classic stories by Arthur Conan Doyle. That said, I would marry Watson in a heartbeat. But I’d dump Holmes and Moriarty without a moment’s thought. Holmes is too stuck on Irene Adler (in the books particularly) and too self-absorbed. Moriarty also is self-absorbed and a megalomaniac to boot. Who needs that stress?

I think Sherlock is actually afraid of women, but I imagine he might be a fun date if I could get him to disguise himself and take me somewhere outrageous.
Watson is infinitely marriage material. He loves daring adventure and, yet, he’s level headed.
I feel terrible saying it, but I’d dump Moriarty. I’d always be afraid he’d secretly be using me or about to have me killed!

All right. Let’s break it down.
Sherlock the manic depressive chain-smoking coke addict would be right out the window – Dump.
Watson is a nice guy but he’s usually annoyingly oblivious except in the newer adaptations – so he gets a Date.
I don’t know Moriarty that well because I have yet to read any stories with him and the only “form” I know him in is from the Young Sherlock Holmes movie in which he’s actually some Egyptian guy masquerading as a professor. I’d probably marry Moriarty because it seems like he’d have the charm to spellbind me.

But! As an addendum… if we’re talking the Benedict Cumberbatch Sherlock, I’d take him in a second, drug-addled or not!

Marry John for sure, because he’s the only one I’d be sure wouldn’t just, like, kill me for fun. If he was in love with me, then I’d date Moriarty over Sherlock- because Sherlock is a jerk and a drama queen, while it might be fun to date a super villain for a while.